Mother Dearest

After Nick filled us in on everything we did the night before and Hope went through her contact list to find out that she indeed got Marcel's number, we started cleaning up ourselves and the mess we made in the living room. I said bye to the girls as they left to go home.

"I hope you know that mom will be here soon," Nick says to me as I finish fixing up the couch.

I totally forgot about that.

We all slept until noon and it took us a few hours to clean up the mess. I barely had enough time to fix myself for when mom gets here.

I ran upstairs and started getting myself cleaned up. I didn't want to look a hot mess when my mom got here.

I put on some simple blue jeans, a comfy grey hoodie that reads Philly in red lettering, and I stay in my grey socks. I was inside my house after all. I brushed out my wavy hair and that was all.

I finished getting dressed and prepared myself for my moms arrival.

Nick was cooking dinner, while I was setting the table.

In no time, the doorbell rang.

Nick was putting the food on the plates, so I ran to the door to answer.

When I opened the door, I didn't get what I expected.

There was a man at the door.

He was tall and had small stubble on his face. He had black hair and brown eyes.

He looked a lot like my dad that I had to check twice to make sure it wasn't him.

"How can I help you," I ask in confusion.

"Your mother said I could ring the bell to let you guys know we were here." Before I can ask anything, my mom pops up from the driveway.

"That was a long trip. Spencer, honey. Come give me a hug." I was surprised. My mom just pulled me into a tight, warming hug. It almost felt like her hugs from when I was little.

"Hey, mom," I say, frozen in place. I open the door wider and let them in.

I guide them to the kitchen to see that it was set for three people. Nick walks out from the kitchen and looks as surprised as I was.

"Oh. I didn't know you were bringing someone," Nick tells my mom. "I'll go set up another plate." He sends me a weird eye signal, silently asking me who the guy is, but I just shrug my shoulders.

Nick left me alone with them once again.

"So, mom. Who's this," I ask.

"Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Frank." He holds out his hand for me to shake. I shake his hand and Nick finishes setting up the fourth plate.

We all sit down and it's extremely quiet. We start eating the food my brother made.

"What have you guys been up to? School going well," my mom asks. She talked to us as if we were just acquaintances.

"Nothing much," I tell her, playing around with my food. I felt bad for playing with the yummy lasagna, but I knew if I took a bite, I would throw up because of the nerves in my stomach from seeing my mom after so many years.

"Your mom told me you're on the cheer team. How's that been going," Frank asks.

"If mom called more often or was actually here, she would know that I quit the team and joined the flag football team."

Before my mom can react to my rudeness, Nick switches the topic.

"Soooo, what have you been up to, mom," Nick asks, eyeing the extra guest.

"Just been traveling for work," she simply says. A bitterness runs through me at her chillness. She hasn't visited her children for years and didn't even care to tell us what was so important that she had to get up and leave after the death of her children's father.

"So, you have nothing to tell us?"

"I got married," she says, smiling now.

Silence.

That's all you could hear.

"What," Nick asks.

"I met Frank on one of my trips and we spent a lot of time together and we fell in love. We got married in court."

"So, you got married without telling us," I say, angry now.

"I didn't know how to tell you guys, but now I've come to tell you. "

"So, we haven't seen you for four years because you were busy building a new family." I could feel my eyes watering now, but it wasn't in sadness. It was from frustration and anger.

My mom didn't say anything.

"I'm gonna go," I tell everyone.

"Spencer, your being dramatic," my mom tells me.

"I'm being dramatic," I ask, unbelievably. I laugh with bitterness. "You know. I was happy to see you again, despite everything you've done. No matter how many times I had to mourn my father with no one by my side because you left for your own happiness and didn't care for what happened to us."

"Spencer," my brother tries to calm me down.

"No. She needs to hear this," I tell Nick. "Then you have the nerves to walk up in here like everything's ok with your new husband, that we knew nothing about. You didn't even have the decency to invite us to your court ceremony. So now, how dare you say I'm being dramatic?"

And with that, I left. I went outside and sat on my porch. A few seconds later I hear the door open behind me.

"May I sit with you," Frank asks. I just nod my head. I didn't know the guy and I wasn't going to blame him for my problems with my mother.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that. I'm not usually like this," I tell him.

"It's ok. I understand. Your mom actually cried the first time I met her. So, like mother, like daughter."

"She did," I ask.

"Yeah, she did. I was so confused, but then she said that I looked like your dad and I gave her a hug and she just couldn't stop crying. She was actually really scared to tell you guys when we started dating. She didn't want you to assume that she didn't love you guys or your father. You kind of just make more room for more love. I had to learn not to feel guilty as well. Sometimes I felt like I was replacing my wife, she died of cancer, with your mom, but then I realized that I loved them both and I never will stop."

"That still doesn't excuse her just getting up and leaving her children to go work overseas. Aren't we entitled to happiness as well? If I was her, I wouldn't have left my children to fend for themselves."

"And I'm definitely not making excuses for her. Your feelings aren't wrong. Your entitled to your feelings."

I see why my mom liked Frank. He was nice and kind hearted.

"Thank you for coming out here," I tell him, looking up at him. One of the biggest differences between him and my father was that he didn't have dimples like my father did.

"No, it's ok. I would've done the same. Your mom tends to blurt out everything in the wrong way. Also, there's one more thing."

"What is it," I ask a little scared.

"I know that we're going to have to get used to it and it'll be weird at first, but your mom wants to stay and wants us all to live together. She wants to get to know you guys better and bond with you guys. She wants us all to work together and be a family. She doesn't want to leave you guys again."

I breathe out a sigh.

"Ok. I can work with that, but only if she does this one thing for me first." I smile.